The glories of hearing the holy name from the mouth of a sadhu are described in Srimad Bhagavatam (4.20.24):
na kamayate natha tad apy aham kvacin
na yatra yusmac-caranambujasavah
mahattamantar-hrdayan mukha-cyuto
vidhatsva karnayutam esa me varah
My dear Lord, I do not want to have the blessing of merging into Your existence, a blessing that does not allow one to taste the nectar drink of Your lotus feet. I want the blessing of having at least a million ears, so that I will be able to hear the glories of Your lotus feet from the mouths of pure devotees.
In the eyes of a devotee, the celestial planets, the planet of Lord Brahma, sovereignty over the earth or lower planets, and the attainment of the eight or eighteen mystical perfections, are all insignificant. This is confirmed by the following statement of Vrtrasura found in Srimad Bhagavatam (6.11.25):
na naka-prstham na ca paramesthyam
na sarva-bhaumam na rasadhipatyam
na yoga-siddhir apunar-bhavam va
samanjasa tva virahayya kankse
Oh my Lord, source of all opportunity, I do not wish to enjoy life on Dhruvaloka, the celestial planets or the planet where Brahma resides, nor do I wish to be the supreme ruler of all terrestrial planets or lower planetary systems. I do not wish to be master of the powers of mystical yoga, nor do I want liberation, if for all this I must give up Your lotus feet.
This is my sincere promise.
By taking refuge in the holy name, attachment develops. Symptoms of this attachment are described in Srimad Bhagavatam (10.29.34):
cittam sukhena bhavatapahrtam grhesu
yan nirvisaty uta karav api grhya-krtye
padau padam na calatas tava pada-mulad
yamah katham vrajam atho karavama kim va
Up until now our minds have been absorbed in domestic affairs, but You have easily kidnapped our minds and our hands by taking them away from the chores of the house. Now our feet will not move one step from Your lotus feet. How can we get back to Vraja? What could we do there?
In this condition all good qualities and all peace are manifested in the devotee. This is explained by Prahlada Maharaja in Srimad Bhagavatam (5.18.12):
yasyasti bhaktir bhagavaty akincana
sarvair gunais tatra samasate surah
harav abhaktasya kuto mahad-guna
manorathenasati dhavato bahih
The demigods with their evolved qualities, such as religion, knowledge and renunciation, manifest themselves in the person who has developed a pure devotion to the Supreme Personality of God, Vasudeva. On the contrary, the person devoid of devotion and engaged in material activities does not possess any such qualities. Even if he is an expert in the practice of astanga-yoga or in honestly supporting his family and relatives, in reality he is guided only by his own mental lucubrations and only dedicates himself to the service of the external energy of the Lord. How is it possible that good qualities are present in such a man?
According to Srimad Bhagavatam (4.11.30), the method of bhakti-yoga completely destroys the false ego which takes the form of identification of the self with the body.
tvam pratyag-atmani tada bhagavaty ananta
ananda-matra upapanna-samasta-saktau
bhaktim vidhaya paramam sanakair avidya-
granthim vibhetsyasi mamaham iti prarudham
By regaining your natural position and offering service to the Supreme Lord, who is the almighty source of all pleasure and who dwells in all beings as the Supreme Soul, you will very soon forget the illusory concepts of ‘I’ and ‘mine’.
Srimad Bhagavatam (4.22.39) further says:
yat-pada-pankaja-palasa-vilasa-bhaktya
karmasayam grathitam udgrathayanti santah
tadvan na rikta-matayo yatayo ‘pi ruddha-
sroto-ganas tam aranam bhaja vasudevam
Devotees who are always engaged in the service of the lotus feet of the Lord can very easily overcome the intricate desires for fruitive activities. Since this is a very difficult task, non-devotees – jnanis and yogis – fail to do so, even if they try to stop the waves of sense gratification. Therefore, engage in devotional service offered to Krishna, the son of Vasudeva.
An introduction to madhyahna-lila (the midday pastime) is given in Govinda-lilamrta:
madhyahne ‘nyonya samgodita vividha-vikaradi- bhusapramugdhau
vamyotkanthatilolau smaramakha lalita dyali- narmaptasatau
dolaranyambu-vamsi-hrti-rati-madhupanarka-pujadi-lilau
radha-krishnau satrsnau parijana-ghataya sevyamanau smarami
I remember Radha and Krishna having fun together at noon. Both are adorned with different types of ecstatic symptoms such as asta-sattvika and vyabhicari. As They become hesitant in Their love affairs, Their eyes show symptoms of aversion, then of intense desire. They like the jokes of Lalita and the other sakhis, and surrounded by these friends, the desire arises in Them to engage in games such as swinging, wandering in the forest, playing in the water, hiding Krishna’s flute, exchanges of love, drinking honey and worshiping the sun god.
Thus, I meditate on Radha and Krishna, who are served in everything by Their companions.
Thus ends the Caturtha-yama Sadhana of Sri Bhajana-rahasya.
This is a section of the book “Bhajana Rahasya”, by Bhaktivinode Thakura.
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